We have prepared this example of an acknowledgements section from a dissertation so you can see what a word of thanks might look like. Keep in mind that this section almost always forms part of a paper’s preface.

In the list of abbreviations, also called the explanation of acronyms, you provide alphabetical abbreviations of important terms in your dissertation. By looking at this alphabetized list, the reader can easily locate defined abbreviations.

The name information page actually says it all. On this page you note the title (and subtitle), plus important information about yourself (such as name, student administration number and email address), your supervisors and your educational program. You close with the date on which the dissertation is submitted.

The task of the dissertation acknowledgements section is solely for thanking the people who have helped you and supported you during the writing of your dissertation. In many theses, the acknowledgements are given as a part of the preface rather than as an independent section.